A (2:47)

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that.

C (2:52)

And we're not stopping at success stories.

B (2:54)

What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

C (2:57)

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

A (3:09)

Countdown with Keith Olbermann is a production of iHeartRadio. These eight are Quislings, Traitors, cowards, capitulators, collaborators, fakes, frauds, enablers, betrayers, failures, political prostitutes. Last night, eight senators, nominal Democrats, voted to fold without any pressure, without any bribe, without any anything. They voted to kick millions of Americans off Obama Obamacare in order to reopen and fund the government to reopen it for only three months, mind you. So we have to go through this again in exchange, not for magic beans this time, but just for the promise of a vote in which they might get magic beans. A vote on the health care subsidies, which they will win if half a dozen Republicans defy Trump. A vote on magic beans, which they will lose. Eight of them. Six Democrats. The independent, Angus King of Maine, who caucused with Democrats until last night, apparently, and John Fetterman. You cannot recall a senator in Pennsylvania. And anyway, that would not be enough for Fetterman. He should be institutionalized, or worse, he should be sold on waivers to maga. His mind is that unsound. F you, Fetterman. The other traitors whose careers in the Senate, in the Democratic Party, in public life, must now end, are Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. Senator Limp Dick Durbin, never someone to sit around and fight when an opportunity would arise to give in. Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, who, in betraying America, had the nerve to say she was doing so to, quote, make sure the government is functioning and continue the fight to a realistic platform to get the premium tax cuts done. If that is not successful, then shame on the Republican Party and shame on Donald Trump. No, shame on you, Ms. Hassan, you useless clown. Republicans do not feel shame. Trump has no human emotions. You have no intelligence. You have been played by shameless people who you think will feel shame. Get the fuck out. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who for most of us, for the first time, has made us realize that she and Maggie Hassan are not the same person. They might as well be. What do you say to your colleagues who say, this isn't a fight, this is a capitulation? She was asked last night. She answers, we have a guaranteed vote by a guaranteed date, which you imbecile you are certain to lose. You traded a stalemate where the other side was beginning to crack for a total defeat. Get the F out of our party. Senator Catherine Cortez Mastow, it's our responsibility to work not only here amongst ourselves, but across the aisle to solve these problems for the Americans, make their lives a little bit easier, I gather, Senator Cortez Masto, you've never actually been to the Senate or to Washington where there is no aisle. There's just a moat full of swamp creatures that Trump owns. And there is no problem solving to be done with the other side. The other side is just a series of whores for Trump. Whores for Trump with which you are now attached. Senator Jackie Rosen of Nevada. Quote, senate Republicans need to work with us in a bipartisan way before the next deadline on, quote. I hate to break this to you, Senator Jackie, but they won't. You have deluded yourself. You have sold your constituents out. Your only honorable course is to resign your office today. And lastly, there is Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who has been essentially a zombie since he went through an entire presidential campaign without ever really noticing once that he was the vice presidential nominee. Useless. At least he's consistent. Counting Fetterman. There are seven nominal Democrats there and they need to be expelled from the party. And those that mistakenly think they have a chance of retaining their seats must be primaried and defeated. Must be these seven and Angus King are dead to us. They are not progressives, they are not pragmatists, they are not even moderates. They are simply gold plated, hot and cold running fools. Their careers must be ended now. Durbin, Cain, Fetterman, Shaheen, Cortez, Masto, Hassan, Rosen and King now done, forgotten. Let us hear their names no more. And as to the Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, who voted against this bill, the rare occasion where he voted correctly, this bill will now sail through the House and give Trump what he wants and gut Obamacare. And then we get to do this all over again in February when the Republicans will have seen only Democratic weakness and how they can plow through these eight ghosts in the Democratic Senate caucus. As to Chuck Schumer, minority leader, who could not keep even half of these bereft, disingenuous, untrustworthy, useless, feckless Democratic Senate assholes in line. Chuck Schumer's time in this role must come to an end. One of the responsibilities of Senate leadership is to make wandering members of your own party realize that it doesn't really matter where their principles might sit or what they think they're going to do with their careers. But they must realize at all times that no matter how good and just you may be, they must know that if they go to talk to the enemy in the middle of a war and cut a deal with the enemy, they are likely to be metaphorically shot in the back by you, the minority leader, which did not happen. Chuck Schumer. You presided as your party got a promise of a vote on extending the Obamacare subsidies. A promise of a vote, a promise for a vote which you will lose. Getting a promise from a Republican is simply exactly the same thing as not getting a promise from a Republican. And now it is also the same thing as getting a promise from Durbin, Cain, Fetterman, Shaheen, Cortez, Masto, Hassan, Rosen, and King, and to hell with each of them. As if this could be more infuriating than it already is. There is also this fact, it is more evident now than it has been at any point in the past, that Trump's mind is gone. He is at his most vulnerable position. His mental health now down to about a zero on a scale of zero to anything, is so bad even the Washington Effing Post has noticed. It is so bad the Washington Post even put it on its front page. He's hyping weight loss drugs in the Oval Office and how he and he alone can bring down their price. And a weight loss patient there to extol weight loss drugs and say how safe they are and to praise Trump's wonderfulness. Collapses, folds, drops, slow motion, like a deflating inflatable tube man at a used car sales lot. Weight loss patient faints at weight loss meeting. It's like the bit in the Jack Nicholson picture Chinatown, where the coroner says to Nicholson, middle of a drought and the water commissioner drowns. Only in la. Trump, whose mind is gone, gets up, looks at the guy on the floor, looks away, stares forward, totally pissed off. How dare he interrupt my latest attempt to rip off America? Photos taken while they carry the poor deflated tube man out of the Oval meeting resumes. Trump sits down. He does not, however, fully fall asleep this time. Trump, whose mind is gone, had already fallen asleep. A closer look at Trump's apparent struggles to fight off sleep in the Oval Office, read the Washington Post headline. A Washington Post analysis of multiple video feeds found that the President spent nearly 20 minutes apparently battling to keep his eyes open. 815 words follow that headline and four pictures, one of Trump, whose mind is gone with one eye closed, one with one eye closed and two fingers rubbing that eye, one with both eyes closed and one where you can almost see the snoring. The president displayed a constellation of movements familiar to anyone who has attempted to stay awake during a work meeting. He closed his eyes. He put his hand to his temple. He slouched in his chair. The Washington Post, the broken fascist Quizzling Bezos Washington Post even writes that after Gordon, the weight loss guy, exited stage left, that the Trump stroking quote resumed about an hour later, with Trump noticeably perkier but still caught on camera at moments with his eyes closed. The article is amazing. What's also amazing is that writers Dan diamond and JM Rieger still work for the Washington Post. It's amazing that they are still unindicted by Trump's corrupt, morally bankrupt Department of Justice. Maybe that's because Trump, whose mind is gone, forgot to tell his Department of Justice to indict the writers. Look, don't, don't, don't get me wrong. Nodding off in a meeting is hardly conclusive, self contained proof that your mind is gone. There is a reasonable chance that you will nod off during this podcast and you're fine. But Trump's quick trip to Sleepytown, his quick role as the nod father, was just the symbolic part of all this, because Trump's mind is gone. And sudden sleep, bordering on a kind of colloquial narcolepsy, is often a component to dementia of all kinds, just as is a cognitive test in April and then the same test exactly six months later, accompanied by an mri, just as is increasingly erratic behavior over a short period of time. And I know it's amazing to look at crazy Trump and use the phrase increasingly erratic. He's been increasingly erratic since December 1983. I can only speak to December 1983 to that date nearly 42 years ago, because that's when I first met him. It probably started long before then. But his mind is gone and it's accelerating again. Even if the snooze was just a snooze and the non human response to the guy there to tell you how safe the drugs are passing out in front of the media, even if the response to that is just part of Trump's evil. Let's step back from the nuts and bolts of, say, the government shutdown to try to process how it was perceived by Trump, whose mind is gone. He thought it would be a good look to cut off food stamps so lines at soup kitchens outdoors would get longer, just as it was getting cold. He thought the correct political move as the holidays approached was government sponsored starvation. He believed that the country would praise him for gradually also shutting down all air travel, including all air travel for his supporters. First for Thanksgiving and then for Christmas and New Year's. Marjorie Taylor Greene got on a train for Georgia. She was having such trouble getting on a plane over the weekend. Marjorie Taylor Greene advised people to take the train. Trump thought these were good political moves. He thought he could even get America to blame the Democrats for this. Even though he runs the White House, he runs the Senate, he runs the House, and he runs the Supreme Court. And of course, since he only watches television that feeds back his propaganda to him, he thinks he's right because his mind is gone. Again, I am reminded of a movie scene. Anthony Perkins as the troubled baseball player Jim Pearsall in fear strikes out. They wanted him to change from the outfield to shortstop and he didn't want to play shortstop. And basically he had a breakdown over it. One day, Pearsall Perkins as Pearsall, is suddenly chipper and happy and his wife says, jim, what happened? And he merrily explains that he doesn't have to play shortstop anymore because he's hidden his shortstop's glove. And she looks at him like she is saying to him herself, he doesn't realize there's more than one shortstop's glove in the world, does he? His mind is gone. Trump is Jim Pearsall when it comes to the media. If he doesn't see it, that means nobody said it. Kind of a Mike Johnson way of looking at life. His mind is gone. Every week now, he says something about lowering food prices by 700% or lowering energy prices by a billion percent. And nobody says, you know, sir, you, you can raise stuff by more than 100%, but you, you, you can't lower anything by more than 100%. It's not, it's not mathematically possible. So he keeps saying it because his mind is gone. Every week he lets his crazy Renfield Stephen Miller spin yet crazier and more dangerous conspiracy theories. The newest one yesterday was about Obama and Comer and Clapper. I think he's got Jimmy Hoffa in this one and maybe the people who killed Julius Caesar and Doge Payments or something, because Trump's mind is gone and Miller's mind has been gone for decades. Now Trump has decided to defend his disastrous tariffs by promising a $2,000 dividend to everyone in the country except the rich. And that's something around $600 billion right now during a shutdown. So the Treasury Secretary, who literally cannot keep his head straight up on his shoulders, races to the nearest Sunday show to explain that the the $2,000 dividend might just be the money we met along the way. Quote, tax decreases. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. Deductibility of older loans, says Scott BESANT. Here's your $2,000. Oh wait, no, there is no $2,000. You already got your $2,000. So Trump, whose mind is gone, also suggested that's how to change the Affordable Care Act. Simply send people money for health care from the government. I'm not sure what plan Trump has because his mind is gone, but it sounds like you just write Trump a letter and tell him how much you need. Now be honest, don't pat it, let's all play fair and this will work out fine. How much do you need for health care? Write Donald Trump, Washington D.C. and he'll send it to you. I don't know how to put this exactly. Trump's mind is gone and he spent yesterday gushing about a flyover when 2000 flights for you, the little people were canceled. And gushing about gold drapes at his new ballroom at the White House. Gold drapes that the executives at the Rotary Club of Skinny Atlas New York would look at and say are you crazy? We have class here. But again, it may be easiest to understand all this if we underscore the more symbolic stuff like like his Thursday nap before and after Gordon the Ozempic victim fainted. The nerve of him to upstage El Presidente like that. Or like what happened yesterday when at the Washington Commanders NFL game, the team owner Josh I'm not Daniel Snyder. Harris reportedly did discuss naming his new stadium after Trump and discussed it with Trump. Most impressively, Harris supposedly kept a straight face as he did this. ESPN it was at first reported Trump was making the hint demand threat full expression of his narcissism. He wanted the stadium named after him cause his mind is gone. His version of the North Korean news anchor that would be Caroline Levitt immediately announced this would be wonderful because Trump enabled the building of the stadium, which is absolute nonsense. It all happened during the Biden administration. On the other hand, the possibilities for new names for this stadium have inspired some of the most searing anti Trump commentary of our times. Several wags noted that for years in Miami we already had the Orange Bowl. There were many variations of Trump is in the Epstein files stadium, but the winner came from an actual football guy, former Ravens and Eagles super bowl winning receiver Torrey Smith, who wrote simply impeached field at Insurrection Stadium. Or as I added, it could be colloquially known as the Big House. The Big House. For those of you untainted by college football, that's what they call the football stadium at the University of Michigan. There is actually, in this episode, more actual sports to mention. Give me a moment, though. First, let me circle back to the disaster in the Senate last night and the need to excommunicate the quislings led by Dick Durbin and our visiting senator from Kanamet territory, John Fetterman. They are cowards. They are failures. They have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Moreover, it is the exact opposite of what the last two weeks has shown us. Stand up to Trump. He is still terrified of anybody who fights back. Run against Trump on what he is doing to the economic lives of your constituents and run against Trump on what he is doing to the civil rights lives of your constituents. The New York times revealed the 7% solution in the Jersey and Virginia governor's elections. Why were they blowouts? Quote, the two Democrats won so decisively because they also flipped a crucial sliver of voters who said they supported Mr. Trump. In 2024, Ms. Sherrill and Ms. Spanberger both won 7% of Mr. Trump's supporters, according to the exit polls. 7% of Trump's supporters. Do you want to do the math on that? In a national race, what 7% of Trump's supporters would do, that might be a shutout in the Electoral College. The exit polls to resume the Times report in New Jersey found that Ms. Sherrill won a whopping 18% of Mr. Trump's Hispanic support in the state. No figures were reported for Virginia, where the Hispanic vote is smaller. Run against Trump. Do not make deals with Republicans in the Senate. And it's not just big picture like the governor's races. The MAGA sheriff in Bucks county in Pennsylvania is gone. Fred Harron landslided by the Democrat Danny Sisler, who ran against Herron's collaboration with Trump's ice. From the Bucks County Courier Times, quote, sisler's victory was driven in part by backlash to Herron's decision to partner county deputies with ice. The partnership, which a Bucks county judge upheld last month, would have allowed sheriff's deputies to act as ICE agents. Seisler pledged to end the program if elected. Seisler spoke at anti Trump protests across the county, urging voters to show their anger at the president by voting out Republicans in Bucks County. And guess what? They did run against Trump. Just try to do two things at the same time. Economy And Trump is death. I mean, a Trumpist who just left the dictatorship is now threatening judges with a vague violent kind of motif. This guy spoke to a Federalist Society conference of lawyers. A judge disagrees with Trump, impeach him or her. Quote, what's going on. To force the Supreme Court to do something is fundamentally political pressure, says this guy Meisel. It's going to be when Congress starts impeaching judges and saying, you are now encroaching into our territory. Now here's the vague threat. Quoting Meisell again, what do I think Trump should do? He should stand up and he's already done this and say judges, I know how to deal with stray cat. Who knows exactly what that means, but it doesn't to me sound like catch them and rehabilitate them through reward based training. Punchline. This goober Mizell threatening to treat judges like stray cats. Cornell Law, naturally that Mizell is married to a judge. I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean you. I didn't mean you were a stray cat. Run against Trump or against Vance. Do they really think Vance is. You know it. Do Trumpists and MAGA look at JV and see a leader, a macho figure of some kind? Do they not see an eyeliner wearing guy who in the places where Trump uses his Temu Hitler act, Vance simply pinches. Politico polling on favorites for 2028 and the nominations. Vance is the Republican favorite. Now, the reality check here is it's Republicans. So there is no reality. Vance polls 35% and second at 28% is Trump. Yes. Six out of 10 of the polls are also in favor of amending the Constitution to allow a third term. Even though 13 states can in effect veto any constitutional amendment. Even if you could get one up and running in the next three years. And there are 16, no question unshakable permanent blue states. That number is probably actually 19. And by next year it'll be in the low to mid-20s. Run against Trump. Lastly, on Vance, to quote another line written by my late friend Bill Goldman that has been transformed into history, even though we don't think Deep Throat actually said it in real life, only in the movie all the President's Men, the truth is, these are not very bright guys. Trump's appeal of the court order denying him the chance to starve Americans by not paying SNAP benefits literally concluded, quote, this is in the document filed with the courts. Quote, just think of J.D. vance. There is no lawful basis for an order that directs USDA to somehow find $4 billion in the metaphorical couch cushions. Oh, this is SportsCenter. Wait, check that.

C (30:20)

Not anymore.

A (30:21)

This is Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Couch cushions, did you say? Okay, two things. The marriage between legalized sports gambling and the actual sports leagues is now claiming victims. Those two suspended Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who didn't see the playoffs because, well, there was some problem with legal gambling. They've now been charged. Ortiz has been arrested. The allegation is they took a couple thousand each to throw specific pitches or pitches at specific speeds so gamblers could bet on how fast the pitch was or if it was a ball or a strike. Micro betting. Not on a game, not on a run, not on a hit. Just no harm, right? Just couple pitches. First pitch of the inning is a ball. I win. Who loses? Allegedly, the gamblers, all with legal bets, won something approaching a total of half a million dollars. Class A. And Ortiz deny everything. Both are not pitching at the moment and probably won't for at least a while. And they face, oh, by the way, 65 years in jail. Fortunately though, we can all relax because these are the only two pitchers who ever even thought of doing anything like this. No, of course, it couldn't be widespread. No, no, definitely not just these two instances. Just these two guys and their friends. Never anybody else. Nobody else ever, ever at all. Couch cushions. And on a lighter note, if you saw it online, no, the supposed one of one super rare baseball card of Shohei Ohtani is a fake. It is clearly a photoshopped version of a Tops now card, the kind of baseball card that has the picture of a player along with a game used artifact like part of a baseball that's been cut up or a B of base or in this case, part of Shohei Ohtani's jock strap. That's the claim. That's the claim. It's a baseball card with Shohei Ohtani's jockstrap. One of one. It's not true. Nobody has made a game used jockstrap card yet. On the other hand, when I first broke into television, it was common belief, I would say, knowledge maybe at CNN Sports, that one of our reporters had seriously gotten a bizarre game used item and had it bronzed and mounted on a plaque. And he presented it to our network founder and owner, Ted Turner, because this reporter thought it would be a great gift that Ted would love and it would curry favor with Ted. And instead, Ted was in one of his clearer moments of the early 80s and he said, get that the F out of my face. And he never quite trusted this reporter ever again. Out of respect for the reporter who is no longer with us, I will leave his name out of this. I did ask him about it once and he didn't deny it and I don't think he liked me anymore after I asked him about it. I asked Ted Turner about it years ago. Ted and I got along fine for many, many years, and Ted laughed and he nodded. So he didn't say yes. All he said was that guy. What a jackass. The game used bronzed item intended for Ted Turner as a gift from a CNN sports reporter reportedly went instead onto the wall of the reporter's home. I don't know what happened to it thereafter, and in fact, I'm glad I don't know. It was Kansas City Royals star George Brett's jockstrap collect the entire series. What is this over here? This is the smallest basketball hoop I've ever oh. Also of interest here, back to that fateful Oval Office dog and pony show so boring that the star civilian witness passed out and Trump, whose mind is gone, checked out. Incredibly, neither of these things constituted the dumbest thing said that fateful afternoon. That was something said by Mr. Crudite himself. Good old Dr. Oz. Once again, Trumpists Mr. Math Book is our friend. Wait till you hear this. That's next. This is Countdown. Not everyone can be good at fantasy football and at Better. We understand that. That's why we're giving you $10 for free just for signing up. Download the Better App, pick more or less on player stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Better Pick is available in 33 states including Texas, California and Georgia. Georgia. Download the Better App today. That's Better B E T R and get a free $10. No deposit necessary. Must be 21 or older in a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates. Terms and conditions apply. Better Picks Sports just got better.

B (36:02)

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A (37:04)

I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.

C (37:11)

It's the rage bait.

B (37:13)

It feels like it's trying to divide people.

A (37:18)

We got clear facts. Maybe we can calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News Reporting for America, I'm Rodney Williams.

C (37:35)

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger. That's exactly why we created the wealthbreak. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles and real wins. We're here to talk about the journey. You're hearing from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed and learn to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business, we're bringing you their stories. And we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities like what it means to take risk, how to navigate failure year, and why resilience matters. Because wealth isn't about money. It's about creating a life where you can thrive and help others to do the same. So if you're ready for a podcast as much as about people as it is about money, you're in the right place. Listen to the Wealth Brave podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

A (38:50)

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It's all@spinquest.com that's s p I n q u e s t.com Spin Quest.

A (39:12)

Is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more. This is Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Still ahead on this episode of countdown, I'm reminded that Randolph Churchill Winston Churchill's son once proudly wrote an article called why I'm Not a Socialist. I am going to offer you the equivalent of that in podcast form. Why I'm Not a Hockey Announcer I know you think of this often and wonder what the truth is. The truth is, I was trying to be one and then they pulled the rug out from under me, so I pulled the rug out from under them. The story of the Ithaca Stars and why I'm Not a Hockey Announcer Coming up next in Things I Promise not to Tell first, believe it or not, there's still more new idiots to talk about. The roundup of the Miscreants, Morons and Dunning Kruger Effect specimens who constitute today's other worst persons in the world. Sharing the bronze in the Media division, Politico and the New York Times. We'll do the Times first, per the excellent newsletter from Lachlan Cartwright Breaker. He found this in the New York Times Quarterly Profit Statement, in which on their earnings call last week they announced they had 460,000 new digital subscribers. As he pointed out, it was the biggest quarterly gain since the Times started disclosing that metric a few years ago. And it's a very large number, he writes, when you consider the Times had only averaged 248,000 new subscribers per quarter, going all the way back to the start of 2022. How did it manage, he asks, to increase subscribers by more than 46% in just one earnings period? Well, sir, Lachlan Cartwright found on page 12 of the third quarter results press release. That's right, he reads this stuff Times, that the Times started marketing a family subscription plan at a higher price earlier in the year. Like the Netflix family plan, one billed account includes separate identities, as he writes, for each family member, and it started to take off, mostly because people like to play games. And here's what it is Even though it's one subscription, as he found in the Times Quarterly Statement, each family subscription is priced higher than a comparable individual subscription and is counted as one billed subscriber and one additional subscriber to reflect the additional entitlements in these subscriptions. The footnote in tiny print reveals the additional subscribers represented approximately 2% of total digital only subscribers at the end of Q3 2025, as he writes, voila. The time's new double counting method magically added 235,000 new subscribers, more than half of the 460,000 it claimed at the top of Tuesday's earning release. In other words, when they were averaging 248,000 new subscribers every quarter. This new accounting method allowed them to double that figure to make it look like they had double the new subscribers than they actually do all the books that are fit to cook. That's my quote, not Cartwright's. Then there's Politico. I've often suggested that most of Washington media is like this. It's not just that they look in the wrong end of the telescope 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, 53 weeks a year, if they could arrange it. It's not just that, but they insist they're doing it correctly. And they have welded these telescopes to the eyeballs of everybody who works in the Washington press corps. But it's politically true. Universally, but particularly true at Politico. There are lots of things that you can point to about the election of Zoran Mamdani as mayor of New York. There are many things, whether you are opposed to it or you believe it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. I happen to point at one thing, which is I think the guy is going to show up to work, unlike the last four mayors, maybe five. I like the idea that he's not 75 years old. I like the idea that he's a wonk and a nerd and he wants to do the job. I just want somebody to do the job. Just, just the job. I don't know how many of these things he's gonna get done that he's promised. Good luck to him. Many of them make sense. The worst of them are like, okay, that probably won't happen, but go ahead, try, try. The last guy, all he tried to do was get free upgrades on trips to Turkey. The cheapest crook in America. You can buy the mayor of New York for $500, 490 if you pay cash, 3% off. But my point is not about any mayor, past or present or future. It's about how Politico, the lens through which they see the Mamdani election. This was after Mamdani's election. They wrote this. Start your day with the man of the moment, New York City Mayor Alex Zoran Mamdani, who spoke with Politico's Joe Enuda for four and a half questions to unpack Tuesday's results. It's the final question, half question, that's the most revealing in Democratic circles at least. This is what about socialism, about the future of, of the party, about the. About the nature of getting elected mayor of New York, how to be a 30, mid-30s mayor, how to, how to look towards managing a city with almost as many people in it as Abigail Spanberger just found out as the whole state of Virginia. No, no, this is. This is what they think. What Politico thinks is the story of the election of this man as mayor of New York. Lightning Round, our man Joe says with what can only be a gleam in his eye. First off, he should have been fired at that spot right there. Lightning Round, this is one of the great cliches of journalism. People asking Lightning Round questions. It's relatively new. Probably 1970 was the first time I heard it used in a political context. It's from my experience from a game show called Password with Alan Ludden, Betty White's late husband. Lightning Round, our man Joe says with what can only be a gleam in his eye, that actually that might be an infection. Here's what they think is the most important question to ask Zoran Mamdani as he takes into that period of time of transition between his election and becoming mayor of New York. Quote, should Chuck Schumer face a challenge in 2028? Seriously, that's what you ask him. If that's your fifth most important question, you should be fired. If you think it's your first most important question, you should be fired and leave the industry. And I don't. I mean media, not just news media. Mamdani finally answers for himself. I'm focused on this transition, my brother, but thank you. And then. And then here's the insight. This is what makes Politico Politico. Sometimes, writes the editor, silence is the loudest noise of all. Oh. Oh, my God. You got abused and hosed for asking a stupid question. And you think the fact that the guy wouldn't answer it is some sort of great revelation. And I mean, we're not even talking about the merits of whether or not Chuck Schumer should face a challenge in 2028. You know how I feel about Chuck Schumer. Why the hell you're asking Mamdani that man? Just a historic election to become mayor of New York, which hasn't had a mayor at some point in the Bloomberg administration, when he violated the city charter and the votes by the city twice by the residents who said, you can't have a third term. And he had a third term anyway. We haven't had a mayor in, like, 20 years here. You think Chuck Schumann should face a challenge in 2028? I mean, I would be. If the. If the child journalist who always appears in these things and does interviews at age 9 of hockey players and political candidates and newly elected mayors of New York asked, do you think Chuck Schumer should face a challenge in 2028? The kid should have been fired. All right, I'll stop now. Runner up, worser, Gianni Infantino, the head of World football, or as we in the real sports country call it, soccer. Johnny Infantino was the replacement for. I'm forgetting, if it was directly he succeeded the guy who went to prison, who had, like, 16 apartments in New York City and used to sleep in a different one every night because he was convinced people were trying to kill him. Johnny Infantino was considered the clean guy, the reform candidate. Date, you've seen him. Trump thinks his name is Johnny. Like, that's Johnny. I'm not sick. This is the NPR account of what he's done. Now, see if you can see where this is going. In fact, raise your hand when you know where this story is going. FIFA has announced the creation of a peace prize, which it plans to award at the draw for the World cup on December 5th in Washington. The draw being who plays who. The award, called the FIFA Peace Prize. Ah, that's going out on a limb there. Will, quote, recognize exceptional actions for peace, soccer's governing body said Wednesday. Because when I think peace, I think the World Cup. When I think peace, I think guys who, when they break into a brawl on the soccer pitch, fight with their feet. I think FIFA for international peace prizes. Now, admittedly, the Nobel Peace Prize was started by the guy who perfected dynamite in an increasingly unsettled and divided world. It's fundamental to recognize the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. FIFA said the award, which Infantino will present this year. Can you now guess who it's going to? Will be bestowed annually on behalf of fans from all around the world. That's right. He's gonna give it to Trump, isn't he? He has been polishing Donald Trump for years now. The World cup is in America. I don't know if anybody's heard about that. I don't know if anybody's gonna hear about it when it happens, but they're gonna give Donald Trump the FIFA Peace Prize. And he is so sick in the head that he's gonna think it's a big deal. And he will then claim. And I think this is the evil genius in the Infantino decision here. I think he will then claim Trump, Ben. That is, that he has won this award every time it's ever been given out, but it's not Alzheimer's but our winner, one of his employees, Dr. Oz. You may remember Dr. Oz from such farces as his run for the Senate in Pennsylvania and the tone deaf video he made that he shot of himself in a supermarket. Actually had a crew shooting him in a supermarket complaining about the price of vegetables to put in crudites. His wife wanted to make crudites like everybody, everybody on earth knew what a crudite was and everybody on earth went shopping for the components of a crudite every day. So that when he said she wanted to make a crudite, well, you'll hear the clip in a moment. But he's topped himself. He is now head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. But he is still a the crudite first and what turns out to be his crude understanding of mathematics second. Thought, I did some grocery shopping, I'm at Wegner's and my wife wants some vegetables for crudite, right? So here's a broccoli, that's two bucks. We thought it was 125 million pounds, Mr. President. Our estimate, based on the company numbers as well, is Americans will lose £135 billion by the midterms. You heard him first. He said it right. They thought that with Ozempic and the other drugs that we're getting people hooked on, rather than teaching them how to eat correctly or even close to correctly. I speak as somebody who's fought this battle my whole life. I understand it. But it's guess what happens in 20 years when they find out what the long term side effects are in the drugs. We thought it was £125 million that would be lost. And then of course, he wanted to impress Trump. And in his haste to do that, he insisted, as you just heard, Americans will lose £135 billion by the midterms. Billion. Now, depending on your count of our population, 330 plus or minus million, that would be. Each person loses somewhere between 399 pounds and 403 pounds. So you've got till midterms to drop one fifth of a ton. Each of you, including the newborn, how big is your baby? Well, minus 395. This is the same math that allows Trump to claim he lowered prices by eleventy billion percent. Only Mehmet Oz is not supposed to be this much of a moron, and yet he is. Because you can take the crudite out of Oz, but you can't take the Oz out of the 135 billion pounds. Nice work, fella. Dr. Mehmet so who. Who could lose 403 pounds do you think? I mean besides Trump Oz, today's other worst person in the world. Nothing in life is free except this free $10 that better pix is offering. Download the better app, pick more or less on player stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Must be 21 or older in a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates, terms and conditions apply. Better Picks Sports just got better.

B (55:30)

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A (56:31)

I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.

C (56:38)

It's the rage bait.

B (56:41)

It feels like it's trying to divide people.

A (56:45)

We got clear facts. Maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News Reporting for America, I'm Rodney Williams.

C (57:03)

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break Break. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger. That's exactly why we created the wealthbreak. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles and real wins. We're here to talk about the journey. You're hearing from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed, and learn to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business. We're bringing you their stories, and we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities, like what it means to take risk, how to navigate failure, and why resilience matters. Because wealth isn't about money. It's about creating a life where you can thrive and help others to do the same. So if you're ready for a podcast as much as about people as it is about money, you're in the right place. Listen to the Wealth Brave podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

B (58:17)

Ready to go big Vizio's supersized 100 inch QLED TV is now available at Walmart for only 1698. Immerse yourself in breathtaking color and contrast with cutting edge QLED on a screen so large it transforms any room into your personal theater. And with Watch Free plus built in, you'll enjoy free live and on demand TV right out of the box. You can even stream your favorite music and podcasts with the iHeartRadio app. Head to Walmart.com and bring home the Vizio 100 inch QLED TV today for only $16.98.

A (58:53)

I mentioned recently that one of things I wanted to do, in fact my original career goal in broadcasting was to become play by play announcer of the New York Yankees. The second one, and the one I actually tried to work on for a while, was to become play by play announcer of the New York Rangers hockey team. My high school Hackley had a hockey team and a radio station, not that anybody listened to us. And we had a sports director, his name was Chris Berman, and he did the basketball games and one day put out an ad for somebody to do the hockey games. And the requirement was do you own your own cassette tape recorder? And I played through the tapes of what I sounded like long before my voice even began to change. The play by play wasn't bad for a 13 year old kid. And I have to say the next year, 1973 when the Pittsburgh Penguins job opened for Play by Play Radio Guy, I had the nuts to actually send them a tape and say, look, I know my voice is a little high, but think of the novelty aspect. So I always wanted to do hockey play by play. And then I went to Cornell, which might as well have had a professional hockey franchise. And that's still true. Lina Rink is one of the great sporting event locales in the world, certainly in college hockey, and it always sold out. And the team was competitive and number one in the Ivy League and a national championship contender. And the rights to the Games were owned by Cornell and immediately, of course, dispersed to the two radio stations, Cornell University, Inc. So we never got close to doing play by play of Cornell hockey. I once asked my friend who was the general manager of those stations, Don Martin, who I've talked about here before as one of the most important people I ever met in broadcasting. I asked him, could we do the JV games? Could we do the women's games? No, because you'll get advertising for it. I know you do a good job. You'll be taking bread out of the food of my announcers. And I was like, yeah, but I'm asking for, like, one slice of bread. You're gonna go far, but not in Ithaca. So, anyway, one day, a fellow named Al Goldstein, who had come to us, I believe, from Berkeley, California, and was 28 years old and long past college days or college radio days, moved to Ithaca, New York, to try to become a radio sportscaster, newscaster, radio salesman, and had heard, had done research on this and had determined that wvbr, the student owned professional radio station at Cornell University, was the best training ground for radio in the country. Al was known as Weird Al and long before Yankovic. And he was a delightful guy, and he used all the Southern or Northern California lingo that none of us understood. Hapnin and Gnarly and all these other things, long before they became famous things. I was like, what did I just say? I'm not sure, but whatever. He works hard. So he did sportscast and he did newscast, and he became a salesman because we sold advertising on the radio station. And one day he came to me, he said, you know, Ko, I've been talking to a lot of my. My clients out there, and. And they. I just mentioned the Ithaca Stars, and they. Their eyes light up, like, why aren't they on the radio? I mean, like, I know it's not Cornell hockey, man, but they, you know, cornell Hockey gets 4000 people. Ithaca Stars get 1800 people. There's a lot of people. People want to hear, why don't we do the games? I'd get it sponsored immediately. And I went, say that part again. And he went through it again, and I said, why don't we? So we all knew the president of the Ithaca Stars. He was, I believe, a car salesman. His name was Bob Totty. We called him up and said, how much for the rights to broadcast your games, which do it on an experimental basis. And he went, first one's free. And I said, I think my colleagues here will agree to that. And sure enough, we Scheduled a broadcast of the Ithaca Stars versus somebody. Ithaca Stars would be made up of Cornell graduates who did not make it in professional hockey or had played professional hockey and lived in the area, came back to Ithaca. In other words, if you are a Cornell hockey star in 1972 and did not make a career of it, you could become an Ithac star in 1978, which is when we are in the history of semi pro hockey in this country. And they did. They drew 2,000 a game at Liner Rink. They almost often, when it would be a team like the Montreal former Canadiens, they would fill the place out. People like their hockey in Ithaca, New York. The ice is already there. The rink is fantastic. So we put Al out on this and was like, oh, we'll try it, and I'll do the games. And the program director, Glenn Cornelius, he'll be the. He'll be my color man, and we'll have somebody host in between periods and we'll have a reporter and we'll, you know, maybe we'll get some wireless. But Al came back in 24 hours and said, sold it out. I was like, what? I figured out how many availabilities we'd have and how many spots. And we have a waiting list. We've already taken in like $20,000 for this. I went, are you out of your mind? He goes, no, man, let's go ahead. Don't tell Toddy this. He'll be demanding money. But I bet if we do, you know, we could do 10 games before the end of their season. I was like, let's go. So we now begin to promote this thing on wvbr coming up on Saturday night, and Glenn Cornelius and I go to a Cornell hockey practice, and we do a practice broadcast of a game. And we're like, this isn't bad. And I'm thinking, maybe I could still become a hockey play by play, man. And my voice is changing. Maybe I can send the tape to the Pittsburgh Penguins again. So now this is Monday or Tuesday, and then the broadcast is coming up on Saturday. And we went wall to wall. Every commercial break on wvbr, every newscast, every sp, every disc jockey show, even the public affairs broadcasts. In the breaks, it was don't forget to listen to the Ithaca Stars. They're premiering on WVBR with Keith Olbermann and Glenn Cornelius. And we had five announcers, and we literally rented wireless mics and we had this whole thing. We had a scoreboard show planned and a studio. It was just. It was network level excess. On Friday afternoon, I walked into the radio station and Al Goldstein was sitting at the desk in the newsroom that I usually used in my chair in front of my typewriter, ashen. And Al had what would have been politely referred to as a ruddy complexion and he was white as a sheet. And I said, what's wrong? He goes, let's go inside, man. Let's go inside. And we went into a studio and he went, they canceled the game. I went, what? Our game. Our game tomorrow night. It's canceled. I said, what do you mean it's canceled? The. The. Apparently there's a. They forgot to. They forgot to rent the rink. So. What do you mean they forgot to rent the rink? They think a Stars have been in business for 20 years, suddenly forgets to rent. Rent the rink? Yeah, there's a JV women's hockey practice. And they won't interrupt it, they won't change it. There's no game Saturday, man. I. I can't remember the rest of that day. I do know from having gone and listened to the tape that at some point I decided that there was a very simple solution to this. That more than likely my old friend Don Martin from WHCUA NFM Ithaca, had prevailed upon Bob Totti, the general manager of the Ithaca Stars, to not have any game that would be broadcast on wvbr. And the mention, by the way, when we called Bob Totty and did the 1978 equivalent of WTF on his backside, he said, I've also rethought the whole idea. We're not gonna do any more games on radio. I said, well, you haven't done any goddamn games on radio because you just forgot to rent the rink. What kind of business are you in? Do you sell cars that don't have wheels? I hung up on him. I was just the same then when I was 20 years old. In fact, I was still 19. I'm very proud of that. In any event, we solved this one pretty clearly. I went on the air that night and I said, we have breaking news from the world of semi pro hockey. It's sad news, particularly in light of the fact that we were intending to bring you the Ithaca Stars game tomorrow night here on WVBR. As you may have heard in the 3000 advertisements we do for today, we have bad news. The Ithaca Stars have gone bankruptcy. Don't mess with the 19 year old or men. Thank you very much. I've done all the damage I can do here. Thank you for listening. Yes, yes, I lied to the audience. Yes, I suspect I was lied to by at least two major organizations in the city of Ithaca, New York. I felt it was justified. I might do the same thing now. So there Most of our Countdown music was arranged, produced and performed by Brian Ray and John Philip Chenale, the musical directors of Countdown, and it was produced by TKO producer Brothers. Mr. Ray was on guitars, bass and drums, and Mr. Schnale was kind enough to handle orchestration and keyboards. Our pithy and satirical musical comments are by the best baseball stadium organist ever, Nancy Foust. The sports music is the ulberman Theme from ESPN2, written by Mitch Warren Davis, courtesy of ESPN Inc. Some other music arranged and performed by the group no Horns Allowed. And my announcer today was my friend Stevie Van Zant. Everything else was, as always, my fault. That's Countdown for today. Day 294 of America held hostage again, just 1,169 days until the scheduled end of his lame duck and lame brained term. Unless he is removed sooner by Maga and Epstein or whatever that is on his hand. Or a bad escalator or Tylenol or or his jet made out of poop or or the next Alzheimer's test. The next scheduled countdown is Thursday. Until then, I'm Keith Olbermann. Good morning, good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown with Keith Ulberman is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have you ever turned a dollar into ten grand? I doubt it, but now you can. On Better Picks Download the Better App, Pick more or less on your favorite player stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Better picks available in 33 states including Texas, California and Georgia. Download the Better App today that's Better Betr and get a free $10. No deposit necessary. Must be 21 or older. In a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates, terms and conditions apply. Better Picks Sports Just got Better Oral health goes beyond just aesthetics. It's deeply connected to your general health and well being. That's why preventing oral health problems before they start is so important. When you use the Colgate Total Active Prevention System, you're not just helping to prevent oral health problems like cavities and gingivitis. You're laying the groundwork for overall wellness. Colgate Total's three product routine includes a reformulated toothpaste, an innovative toothbrush, and a refreshing antibacterial mouthwash that all support a healthy mouth. In fact, the three products were designed to work together to be 15 times more effective at reducing bacteria buildup in six weeks starting from week one compared to a non antibacterial fluoride toothpaste and flat trim toothbrush. Take control of your oral health and get the Colgate Total Active Prevention System today so you can be dentist ready. Visit shop.colgate.com total.

C (71:10)

I'm Rodney Williams and I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break Podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

A (71:23)

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have.

C (71:26)

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

B (71:30)

What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

C (71:33)

Because wealth isn't just about money, it's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

B (71:44)

Ready to go big Vizio's supersized 100 inch QLED TV is now available at Walmart for only $16.98. Immerse yourself in breathtaking color and contrast with cutting edge QLED on a screen so large it transforms any room into your personal theater. And with Watch Free plus built in, you'll enjoy free live and on demand TV right out of the box. You can even stream your favorite music and podcasts with the iHeartRadio app. Head to Walmart.com and bring home the Vizio 100 inch QLED TV today for only $16.98.

A (72:15)

AI agents are everywhere, automating tasks and making decisions at machine speed. But agents make mistakes. Just one rogue agent can do big damage before you even notice. Rubrik Agent Cloud is the only platform that helps you monitor agents, set guardrails and rewind mistakes so you can unleash agents, not risk. Accelerate your AI transformation@rubrik.com that's R U B R-I-K.com this is an iHeart podcast.